During my undergraduate studies in Toronto, I became fascinated with the brain and how it works. Since McGill was the only university in Canada that was widely known for work on the nervous system, it was the obvious place for me to go.
Attending McGill – my first time living away from home – was a new adventure. Compared to Toronto, Montreal had such a sophisticated and exciting ambiance. I was thrilled to be living in a bilingual city, where I could interact with both the francophone and anglophone communities. I especially enjoyed the city’s many Hungarian coffee shops. They were inexpensive and cool places for people to meet.
My career has had an unexpected trajectory. As my interest in the brain grew, it was not always obvious what I had to do next. One of my life’s lightning bolt moments occurred a few years after I graduated from McGill. I had stayed on to work as an assistant professor of neurophysiology (as it was then known). One of my colleagues suggested that I study brain development. My decision to follow this advice marked a turning point in my professional life.
Back in the late 1950s very little was known about the development of the brain. The subject intrigued me as nothing else had. I knew that this was the path I wanted to follow. (Interestingly, some of the most important figures in this field have been women.)
While attending a meeting of the psychological association in Chicago, I bumped into an acquaintance who happened to mention that the biologist Paul Weiss, a giant in development of the nervous system, was looking for a neurophysiologist who was studying brain development to work in his lab. As my friend described the skills that the applicant must have, I realized that that fitted me perfectly.
As it turned out, I was offered a postdoctoral research position in the Weiss lab at Rockefeller University in New York City. Accepting this offer was risky, because my job as an assistant professor at McGill could have led to a long-term position. To go to the US as a postdoc would have involved a year-to-year appointment. This was a very difficult decision for me to make.
I ultimately decided I would go on the condition they give me a faculty position; otherwise, it was too chancy and potentially a step backward in my career. I think that many young scientists have a hard time making the transition from a postdoctoral position to being on the faculty. Every step along the way is fraught with uncertainty.
My advice for today’s students is to reach out to someone in a common field of interest. It can help you clarify your ideas and ultimately lead you to new opportunities. It is so important to expand your horizons.